an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

I wish Gilbert and Sullivan were alive to adapt "Red Corner" into one of their operettas. Preposterous story lines, unintentionally amusing dialogue and actions that G.&S. of course, would intentionally make into comedy (unlike what the writer of Red Corner and the hack director achieved), though perhaps I should give it another star because of the dozen or so laughs I did have. You praising folks want an example of the unintentional comedy? The scene where Richard Gere suddenly transforms from media executive to action hero after a seasoned hit man impossibly bungles shooting Gere and Bai Ling in a stalled limo. The un-hit man flees the scene with Gere in full pursuit, Gere loses sight of him but continues chasing something through a maze of alleyways; the big laugh of this scene is when Gere, riding a bicycle (with handcuffs on yet) is being pursued by a motorcycle cop who is closing in on him rapidly but eludes capture when the cop, apparently riding a motorcycle for the first time, slides on something in the street and wipes out. The truly grandest comedic moment in the movie though was the big production number at the end when the court proceedings become a shambles of story rabbits being pulled out of Bugs Bunny's body. It made me think of adding Perry Mason to the stateroom scene in "A Night At The Opera". A laugh a minute.

Jack Moore, a high-profile international lawyer, is in China for business. Moore sleeps with a young woman, and wakes up to find her dead in his bed.Falsely accused of murder, Moore's only chance is his Chinese advocate Yuelin.The rules and laws are different, and Moore must convince Yuelin of his innocence and unravel the chain of events that entrapped him...One cannot deny that Gere is very good in this movie, it's one of his best roles without Julia Roberts being involved, but the whole thing is a little overlong, and very boring.It's not Geres fault, it's the script and the narrative just plods on and focuses too much on him alone and complaining that his earphone/telephone isn't working.But it wouldn't hurt to just have a couple of exciting scenes? The one scenes with him running toward the embassy is a little too late, another case of a deceptive trailer.so all in all, Gere is good, film isn't, and it all has a 'Rising Sun' feel to it

I picked this movie late one night as I was having trouble falling asleep and because of the mostly negative reviews I had read about it, thought it would soon put me to sleep.I am a fan of neither Richard Gere nor Bai Ling but found myself soon being drawn into the unfolding drama and getting more alert and interested, instead of drowsy, as the movie progressed.Both leads turned in solidly strong and very believable performances (Bai Ling really surprised me) and I really loved the handling of the developing relationship between their characters. Instead of taking a turn into romance or eroticism(an easy and tempting directorial path) the focus instead was on how they come to understand and truly appreciate each other for what each is, and isn't, to the point that both don't hesitate to take great risks for the other's sake.The depiction of mainland Chinese bureaucracy and corruption (at the time) is by all accounts, accurate. I found the courtroom drama tense and riveting. The ending is poignant and fitting, though in the end you can't help but wish they stay together.An under-appreciated movie. See it if you get the chance; you could do far, far worse.

Jack Moore (Richard Gere) is an American TV executive in Beijing trying to put together a deal for supplying material to China. He catches the eye of a Chinese girl and they head off to his hotel room: the next morning he wakes to find himself covered in her blood and taken away by the authorities to face trial for her murder. He discovers that the Chinese justice system works on very different lines to the US system. With the help of a female Chinese advocate he begins to try to make sense of what has happened to him.This film is mostly a cross between a paranoia thriller and a courtroom drama, with some action sequences which don't fit that comfortably, and some interesting overtones about how to find justice in a system which encourages confession to obtain leniency, and a woman's place in a system which is, in some respects, strongly feudal.There is an irritating moment about halfway through where the plot is moved along by an accidental, fortuitous, and completely improbable discovery by Gere (he catches a bit of a TV broadcast filling in a convenient gap in his knowledge).Gere is good as a man whose self-confidence and arrogance is gradually worn away by the reality of a system which simply won't permit them to exist.Bai Ling is better as his Chinese advocate - realistic, dignified, recognising the need to work within the system as it as, and a woman of intelligence in a culture which does not value her qualities in the way they would be valued in the West.The Beijing setting is unusual, atmospheric and convincing. The film is gripping throughout and a thoroughly enjoyable and exciting movie.